8 Most Overrated Plays in Sports History

8 Most Overrated Plays in Sports History

Great plays are what sports are all about. Without them, all we've got is a bunch of physical specimens running really fast. But there are some plays that are just simply overrated.

I've done my best to rank eight of the most over-hyped plays of all time in sports.

Great plays should stand-alone, graded strictly on their level of difficulty, not the meaning of the game. Those are great moments. Otherwise, we might end up ranking a free throw the top NBA play of the season.

No. 8: Jackie Robinson Steals Home

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In the first game of the 1955 World Series, Jackie Robinson stole home on Whitey Ford and Yogi Berra.

Obviously, that's a pretty big play, but the reason it's on this list is because Robinson was out. Easy.

No. 7: Any and All Slam Dunks

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Blake Griffin is capable of making any rim feel ashamed of itself.

The thing is, dunking a basketball for a 6'10" athlete is mathematically the same as me dunking on an eight and a half foot goal. Nice.

That goes for Dwight Howard and all other monsters of the court. Are their dunks cool? Yes, but keep them off your "best plays" list.

No. 6: The Orginal Hail Mary

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The only impressive thing about Doug Flutie's Hail Mary is the arm strength it took to get the ball into the end zone.

The offensive line didn't block well. The defense let the ball the slip through without even touching it. The wide receiver was falling as he caught a clean ball. Great.

No. 5: Music City Miracle

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As a huge Tennessee Titans fan, this play is hard to put on the list.

But as a stand-alone play, the Music City Miracle is nothing spectacular.

Lorenzo Neal caught and handed the ball off to Frank Wycheck. Wycheck took a few steps to the right and threw it to a wide open Kevin Dyson. Dyson ran straight.

No. 4: The Called Shot

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The biggest reason Babe Ruth's legendary called shot is on this list is because the murkiness surrounding the story.

Was he pointing at the pitcher? At the dugout? A pretty bird over second base? We'll never know...

No. 3: The Basket Catch

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Willie Mays' over-the-head catch in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series is extremely overrated. A typical week in baseball will yield at least four nicer catches than that.

Mays tracked down the ball and made a running, over-the-head catch. Impressive? Certainly, but not the nicest baseball catch ever.

Also, Mays is praised for "having the presence of mind" to throw the ball back in after the catch. Huh? The presence of mind to not pull a Milton Bradley?

No. 2: Christian Laettner's Buzzer Beater

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The most impressive part about Christian Laettner's buzzer-beater to move on to the 1992 Final Four was Grant Hill's one-armed pass that was right on the money.

Yes, Laettner hit a nice turn-around jumper from the free throw line, but that should be automatic for players of his caliber.

He wouldn't have had a chance to even shoot had John Pelfrey actually double-teamed him (as was the plan) instead of being a spectator.